Fans rally to buy eventer Sara Algotsson Ostholt’s next top horse
Swedish horse lovers have come to the aid of their Olympic individual silver medal-winning eventer Sara Algotsson Ostholt and her potential Rio ride.
Sara’s horse Mrs Medicott was to be put up for sale by her German owner Gerd-Hermann Horst and Sara could not raise the undisclosed sale price.
But on Tuesday the rider — known as “Silver Sara” in Sweden — found out that Facebook supporters had raised more than 800,000 Swedish krona (£75,000), which, with money from sponsors, was enough to seal the deal.
“I have spoken to the owner and we have agreed that with the help of Facebook we have enough to buy her — it’s fantastic,” Sara told H&H.
“Her results are better at this age than Wega [whom Sara rode at Greenwich].
She has potential to be a great horse.
“But without the Facebook group I would not have been able to keep her — it is unique.”
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The appeal was the idea of supporter Christina Lundin. She told H&H: “Sometimes you get lucky and this was one of those times. It’s amazing.
“We wanted Silver Sara to keep her horse.”
A spokesman for the Swedish equestrian federation agreed it was a great result.
Mr Horst also owned Sara’s husband Frank Ostholt’s ride Mr Medicott, who was sold to a syndicate for American eventer Karen O’Connor to ride last year. He was Karen’s ride for the London 2012 Olympics.
H&H could not contact Mr Horst, but Sara said he was delighted that she was able to buy Mrs Medicott.
This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (15 November 2012)
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A self-confessed newshound, farmer’s daughter and journalist of many years' experience, Charlotte worked on regional papers before joining H&H in 2007. A regular rider, she visited Ireland in 2010 to investigate the fate of Irish horses through the recession, to much acclaim, and reported from the FEI General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro in 2011. She left Horse & Hound in March 2013.